Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Saudi Arabia is engaged in genocide in Yemen and has caused a humanitarian disaster but we still continue to trade with the country, so the Minister might forgive us for suspecting that Ireland might have voted for its accession to the commission on this occasion. Only two weeks before the Irish trade delegation landed in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Ambassador to the US, Prince Abdullah bin Faisal al Saud, was asked if Saudi Arabia would continue to use cluster bombs in Yemen. His answer was short but conveyed quite a bit about the Saudi Administration. His response was, "This is like the question, will you stop beating your wife?", before he let out a big belly laugh. Prince Abdullah compared Yemen to the wife of a Saudi man and seemed to find the idea preposterous that either should stop being punished. He was referring to physical abuse in the case of women and cluster bombs in the case of the people of Yemen. The Minister states that Ireland supports equality of opportunity but the people of Ireland would like to know if we supported the opposite on this occasion. Until the Minister tells us and there is openness about the decision making - this is not a normal issue - the people will like to know the truth.

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